One of the biggest issues with the sweep feature on ILIFE robots is the lack of a mechanism that prevents water from constantly dripping onto the ground.
This void that I’m going to show here may have solved this problem and much more.
Meet the Ainol A – S11, the newest electric tilting mop.
Table of Contents
How is this different from the other hybrid mop and vacuum you’ve featured here?
Well, it has some unique features not found in ILIFE or Jisiwei.
At first glance it looks similar to Jiwiwei I3 but this robot is much different.
According to GearBest, this robot has the 4-in-1 functions of a vacuum cleaner, broom, broom, wet mops, dry mops and UV sewage.
Unique feature
One unique feature that this robot has over other robot mops I’ve tested is the water tank that is able to regulate the flow of water into the mop.
On the other brands I’ve tested which are ILIFE X5 and V7S, the water will continue to drip until it runs out. So the result will be very wet ground if you leave it on for a long period of time.
Another unique feature is UV sterilization which the manufacturer claims kills germs.
But you have to take this with a grain of salt because it’s just ultraviolet light and we have no way of knowing if that light is bright enough to kill any bacteria.
Disclaimer: I got this product for free in exchange for a detailed review and will do my best to be as objective as possible. If I see that this product does not work equally well, I will say so and I will not hold back.
Quick look at the features
- It has 4 in 1 functions – Vacuum Cleaner, Vacuum Cleaner + Vacuum, 2 in 1 Wet Mopping, Sweeping and 3D UV Sterilization
- Li-ion battery with a capacity of 2200 mAh will work between 1.5 and 2 hours
- Dual side brushes (with 2 extra brushes inside the box)
- HEPA filters (with extra one inside the box)
- 1200 suction power (max.)
- Dust container capacity 900ml
- Water tank capacity 650ml
- Low Noise: Produces only 65dB
- Comes with virtual wall and remote control (batteries are not included)
Positives
- strong suction
- Lots of flexibility in terms of cleaning setup – you can use it as a vacuum cleaner and a wet mop at the same time
- Long run time – over 2 hours!
- Large dirt bin and water tank – probably the largest on the market
- The large size dirt bin can hold up to 900ml of dirt
Negatives
- The motorized brush is made of bristles that may be too soft on carpets
- Random cleaning mode is not effective but thorough
- Based on my cleaning tests, this robot has trouble cleaning large amounts of dirt – not all of it gets sucked into the trash.
What do you expect from Ainol A – S11?
Let’s start from the top of the robot where the control interface is. Here’s how it looks…
If you take a quick look it looks like there are a lot of buttons placed in there but these are just LED indicator lights telling you the status of the robot.
Most of these things are self-explanatory, but here are some that may confuse you.
go full
When this feature is activated, the robot goes through the cleaning process, returns to recharge when the battery is low, and then goes back out again for another cleaning cycle.
Use this feature if there is a room that has not been cleaned for for example two weeks.
basket full
When the robot’s dry dirt container is full, the robot will stop and this light will flash along with a voice message.
water perfusion method
This will light up when the water level in the water tank is low.
top view
Bottom view with motorized brush
and without it
This is where the beauty of this product stands out, which is the versatility in terms of functionality. You can use it as a vacuum cleaner, a vacuum cleaner + wet mop, and a vacuum cleaner + dry mop, with or without the motorized brush – depending on the type of floor and your preference.
Mobility
I’m sure you’ve seen the video I shared above on how this robot moved around the room.
Under the hood, this robot uses pretty much the same navigation system as ILIFE, Jisiwei, and other robot vacuums in the same price range and is an infrared-based system that uses a random navigation pattern.
But each of these brands has its own nuances when it comes to navigation. Ainol looks mechanical when turning unlike ILIFE which turns smoothly.
I mentioned in the video that it looks like a pivot is triggered when it tries to change direction and when it detects more dirt in an area it switches to spot cleaning mode and then maximizes suction.
And when it detects that the battery is low, it returns to the charging station.
It also has a special mode that tells the robot to get back out and clean again after recharging. This mode is called “Full Go” mode.
Executing floor cleaning
In my first cleaning test (check out the video above), I was really pleased with how this robot performed on the bare ground, even with a soft bristle brush, it was able to pick up a small amount of the powdered and powdered oats I sprinkled on the floor.
But when I increased the quantity I struggled. To see what I mean, just watch this video…
Lots of oats and powder got stuck between the motorized brush and the dirt bin.
Here’s what the container looks like, it wasn’t even half full!
This was a huge disappointment to me. I thought it could be that the motorized brush was probably too soft so I removed it and used the other arc and the results were much worse…
Third cleaning test
I did a third cleaning test because Ainol contacted me if I could do another to see if all the dirt went inside the box and so I did. I must admit that I had doubts that this robot did better in the third test.
But other issues remain such as inefficient navigation that focuses too much on spot cleaning rather than time-consuming edge cleaning.
If you’re going to use this bot, don’t expect it to clean multiple rooms well. It would be better to clean one room at a time.
Wet and dry packages
This is what the water tank and dry dirt box look like…
The dirt box is the largest I’ve seen so far when reviewing Chinese-made products with a 900ml capacity. It dries easily with the ILIFE V7S containing 600ml dirt basket.
The design is so that dirt does not escalate easily when emptying.
In the opening there is a plastic cover that opens and closes when the vacuum cleaner is turned off. This is a simple but effective feature to keep dirt inside.
This is an open gabion box…
It has a three-stage filter that combines a mesh and a HEPA filter at the end to prevent microscopic allergens from escaping back out.
The water tank is also large as it can hold about 650ml of water. And I noticed it had a few pins for the current.
This should be for the mechanism that regulates the flow of water and when the tank is empty it sends a signal to the robot that lights up the LED on the upper front.
Battery and runtime
This robot uses a 2,400mAh battery that GearBest says will run for about 140 minutes and clean up to 220 square feet on a single charge.
remote control
This robot uses a thin black remote control that looks like a TV remote control with nicely arranged buttons. It will give you access to all functions of this bot.
You can use the remote control to decide when to clean this robot, or access turbo cleaning mode, spot cleaning mode, edge cleaning mode, or full run mode.
It also has steering buttons that allow you to control the robot manually like an RC.
The remote control also allows you to turn off the UV light that is on by default or turn off the water regulator and the water will leak out faster.
virtual wall
You will also get a virtual wall that prevents the bot from accessing restricted areas.
One unique feature of this virtual wall is that it blocks two directions instead of only one at a distance of about 4m in both the x and y axes.
It gives you the flexibility to use only one or both signals as needed.
But you will need two C batteries separately.
charging base
I love the way they designed the charging base – it’s all white with a thick black bar and it’s the infrared receiver that tells the robot where it is at all times.
The downside of an infrared-based system is the range. If you’re looking to clean a larger home, the robot likely won’t come home if it’s cleaning too large an area which makes it more suitable for small to medium sized homes.
What comes in the box?
In addition to the Ainol A – S11 robot, you will get a mop holder, a microfiber mop, 4 side brushes, a charging base, a plug, a remote control, a virtual wall, a dust box, a water tank, and an English manual.
Unfortunately, the remote control does not come with batteries.
Where can I buy this?
The Ainol A – S11 is now available at GearBest for just under $150.
Conclusion
It’s hard for me to recommend this robot vacuum as a basic robot vacuum because of the design flaw it has with the cheaper and more efficient robots available like the ILIFE X5 and V5 Pro that also have the same sweeping functions as this one.
This robot may have a hard time cleaning up a huge pile of mess as you will see in our cleaning test. Dirt seeps between the container and the suction chamber.
But for a light mess, you’ll be fine. The way this robot navigates is also another issue. It appears to be swinging on a pendulum when it is spinning. And while the dirt-detection system looks good on paper, it reduces efficiency.
At first I thought this was a winner but it isn’t.